Salisbury cancer patients rate their care highly in national survey

Cancer patients at Salisbury District Hospital have rated the quality of their care highly in a national survey carried out by Quality Health on behalf of NHS England.

Over 370 patients responded to the overall questionnaire which covered the diagnosis and treatment, confidence in staff, hospital information and the support that patients received at home. The Trust performed well in the survey and while not all patients completed each question, of those who responded:

92% felt their care was very good or good with an overall rating of 8.9 out of 10

92% felt they got understandable answers to important questions all or most of the time

90% felt they were always treated with respect and dignity by staff

87% of patients felt they had all information needed about chemotherapy treatment beforehand

85% felt they were told sensitively that they had cancer

85% felt that staff did everything to help control pain

Dr Christine Blanshard, Medical Director, said: “It’s essential that we provide a caring and sensitive environment for all our patients and that they are treated with respect and dignity at Salisbury District Hospital. Overall our patients rated the care they received highly, with privacy, pain control and the provision of information other positive areas highlighted in this survey.”

Dr Blanshard added: “This survey reflects positively on the service we provide. However, we feel there are areas that we will want to look at ourselves to further improve our patients’ experience. While we already have a plan of care for each of our patients, nationally all hospitals will now have to give patients an individual care plan that not only reflects their clinical care, but also their personal needs from diagnosis through their treatment and ongoing follow up in the community. This will be covered in the action plan that we are now developing following the survey.”